UW-Madison students, faculty and community members gathered in Library Mall Sunday for the first Peace Day @ UW, a day which coincides with the worldwide International Day of Peace.
The international Peace Day was first recognized in 2001, when the United Nations declared Sept. 21 a day of non-violence and worldwide ceasefire.
While interning this summer at the United Nations, UW-Madison senior Todd Brogan saw documentary filmmaker Jeremy Gilley's film Peace One Day"" and said he had to do something.
Brogan, working with several other student groups, eventually organized Peace Day @ UW.
Brogan began Sunday's event with an introduction and encouraged attendees to think about those who have died in conflict worldwide with a moment of silence.
Earlier this month, student organizations voted UW-Madison political science professor Howard Schweber the keynote speaker for event.
During his address, Schweber said UW-Madison's Peace Day is just the start of creating worldwide peace.
""A peace worth having has costs '¦ they may be of wealth or of blood '¦ or a willingness to let go of our past grievances,"" he said.
Schweber encouraged people to think about their own mentality toward peace and what they could give up to achieve it on a global scale.
""We need to challenge our perceptions of self, what we think defines us,"" Brogan said.
Peace Day @ UW appealed to a wide variety of people, with attendees varying in religion, political view and ethnicity. Brogan said he was most proud of the diverse attendance.
""The whole point of the day was to say that we have Democrats, Republicans, we have Jews, Christians and Muslims, we have all kinds of people '¦ so we got that,"" Brogan said.
At the event, Brogan asked attendees to text ""Peace"" to a specified number along with a message for world political leaders. He said messages would be distributed at the opening of the General Assembly at the United Nations Tuesday.
